Machine for punching nipples, &amp;c.



No. 682,626. Patented Sept. 17, l90l.

. R. G. LUCKWDUD.

MACHINE FOR PUNCHING NIPPLES, &(

(Application filed Jan. 30, 1901-) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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Patented Sept. I7, l90l.

R. G. LOCKWOOD. MACHINE FOR PUNCHING NIPPLES, 81.6.

(Application filed .Im so, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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P TENT OFFICE.

RHODES G. LOOKWOOD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- THIRDS TORHODES LOOKWOOD SAME PLACE.

AND WIL LIABTN. LOCKlVOOD, OF

MACHINE FOR P UNCHING NIPPLES, 800.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,626, datedSeptember 17, 1901.

Application filed January 30, 1901 Serial No. 45,301. (No model.) A

To a whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RHODES G. LOCKWOOD,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulMachine for Punching Nipples and the Like, of which the following is aspecification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a plan View of a. machine embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is an elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1, thedriving-pulley being removed in order to show other parts better. Fig. 3is a section showing in elevation details of the hammer'and connectedparts, the section being made on line A A of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectionshowing in elevation a portion of the hammer-feed mechanism, the sectionbeing taken on the 2: -line B B of Figs. 1 and 3.

- The object of my invention is to provide a machine by which in-theprocess of manufacturing nipples of soft rubber or other suitablematerial, such asare commonly used in connection with nursing-bottles,one or more holes may be punched in the head of the cul-de-sac, whichwhen completed is to constitute the nipple. Hitherto this opera tion hasbeen done by hand, the workman o picking up the nipples one afteranother in turn to punch them. The speed at which this could be done hasbeen limited by the tax upon the physical endurance of the workman inwielding the hammer and by the relative slowness of his hand and eye inplacing the blank nipples on the punch and removing them therefrom afterthe hole has been cut. In the machine which I have invented it is onlynecessary to feed the blank nipples 0 to the machine, the operations ofcentering,

punching, and discharging the punched nipple being performedautomatically by the machine. A large increase in production, aconsiderable saving in labor, and other econ- 5 omies of operationresult from the use of my machine, the features of which I shall nowdescribe.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that the machine consists of amultiplicity of punches arranged to receive and sustain in position thenipples to be punched, in cona turn-table 2, supported by the frame ofthe machine, are caused to move by rotation of the turn-table so thatthey pass in succesv, sion through a fixed point under the hammer 3,hereinafter to be described. A stud 4, on which is a shoulder 5,projects from the turntable through the frame, the shoulder and studconstituting the bearing upon which the turn-table rotates. Aratchet-disk 8 is fixed to the stud, and a pawl 6, carried by an arm 11,journaled upon the stud, is adapted .to engage notches on the disk, thepawl being kept pressed against the disk by the spring 10. A to-and-fromovement is imparted to the pawl-carrying arm 11 by a crank or eccentric13, the two being connected by the rod 12-. The crank 13 is driven,through bevelgears 15, from the main driving-shaft16. The maindriving-shaft is equipped with tight and loose pulleys in the ordinarymanner.

- It will be seen that continuous rotation of the main driving-shaftwill, because of the to-and-fro movement of the pawl, cause intermittentrotation to be imparted to the turntable 2 and punches 1. A spring-brake9 applies friction to the edge of the rotating turn-table, so that atthe end of each stroke the table remains stationary in the position itthen occupies until it is moved by the next stroke of the pawl. Thenumber and distance apart of the notches on the disk 8 are so designedwith respect to the throw of the crank 13 and with respect to thepunches 1 that each forward movement of the pawl will cause a new punchto be brought into position under the hammer 3, where it will be stoppedand held by the brake 9 without movement until another forward movementof the pawl carries it on and substitutes another in its place. I

Pivoted in bearings 19, which are parallel with the main driving-shaft,is an arm 17, which carries the hammer 3. It has an end projectingtoward the main driving-shaft and adapted to be engaged by a cam 18,mounted on that shaft. The cam 18 is so shaped that rotation of theshaft causes the cam to engage with the arm 17 and depress the end ofthat arm, thereby swinging the arm upon its bearings 19 and raising thehammer 3, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, until the releaseportion of the cam 18 is reached, when the arm is released and thehammer 3 falls. In Fig. 2 the full lines indicate the position of partsshortly after the hammer has been released. The cam 18 is fixed on itsshaft in such a position with respect to the crank 13 and pawl b thatthe release of the hammer will occur at a time when one of the punches lis stationary under the hammer.

The hammer 3 consists of a block, preferably cylindrical in shape andmade, preferably, of Babbitt metal or other soft composition. Itsposition relative to the position occupied by the punch upon which itsblow is to be delivered is automatically changed at each stroke, so thateach blow is delivered by a fresh portion of the hammer. Iaccomplishthis by mounting the hammer upon a shaft 20, supported by bearings 21 22in the striking end of the hammer-arm 17. This shaft is free to slidethrough the bearing 21. The portion passing through the bearing 22 isscrew-threaded to engage a thread cut in the hearing, so that uponrotation of the shaft the screw moves the hammer in the direction of itsaxis. A ratchet-wheel 23, through which the shaft 20 is free to slide,is mounted on that shaft and is keyed thereto by the spline 24:. Theratchet-wheel, and with it the shaft, are rotated by a pawl 25. Thispawl receives a to-and-fro motion from an arm 26, which is pivoted onthe shaft 20 and projects through a hole in a plate 27, fixed to theframe of the machine. (See Fig. 1.) \Vhenever the striking end of thehammer-arm 17 is raised, the arm 26 comes in contact with the fixedplate 27 and is thereby rotated to some extent about the shaft 20, thusmoving the pawl 25, which, through the ratchet 23 and shaft 20, rotatesslightly the hammer 3 and brings a fresh part of the hammer over thepoint where the punch is to be struck.

The extent of the rotation of the hammer depends upon the amount whichthe ratchetwheel is moved by the pawl 25 and is preferably justsullicient to present a fresh surface of the hammer to each succeedingpunch.

In order to make sure that the pawl shall take up at each stroke theprecise number of notches desired and no more, I have provided a smoothplate 28, incasing the ratchet-wheel and intervening between its teethand the pawl during a portion of the pawls stroke. The throw of the pawlon each return stroke carries it back several notches from the positionwhere the upward mot-ion of the hammer-arm left it. The plate 28 is setso as to leave uncovered only as many of those notches as it is desiredto have the pawl engage. The pawl then slips smoothly over the platewhere the notches are covered and does not on its driving stroke engagethe ratchet until it reaches the end of the plate, when it slips offinto the desired notch, engages the ratchet, and pushes it forward untilthe limit of the pawls movement is reached. When this means is employed,it makes no difference how low the hammer may fall or over how manynotches the pawl may be carried thereby, for the only portion of thestroke of the pawl that is operative is the conclusion of it, and thatportion is controlled accurately by the cam 18 and the plate 27.

The pitch of the screw 22 is preferably such that at each completerevolution the hammer will advance just far enough in the direction ofits axis to present a fresh surface to the punches. It follows that inthe operation of the machine each blow to puncture a nipple is struck bya smooth portion of the hammer until the entire surface of the hammerhas been covered. It has been the usual experience that the head orblock on the hammer that receives and stops the penetration of the punchafter the latter has pierced the material in which the hole is to be outquickly acquires a rough and uneven surface the result of which ispoorer work and a shorter life of the hammer or block. In my inventionthe hammer being once set in operation and allowed to work withoutinterruption proceeds to do its work accurately and evenly, withmathematical precision, so long as a single spot on its entire surfaceremains fresh and unutilized. Then it may be removed and a complete newsmooth surface produced without recasting the metal by placing it in alathe and turning off the roughened surface.

A delivery-arm 29, pivoted to the frame of the machine at 30, is fittedwith a scoop-like plate 31 at its end, the scoop being so locatedrelative to the punches that when the turntable is stationary the edgeof the scoop will be close to one of the punches and adapted on beingraised to lift from that punch the punched nipple resting upon it. Thescoop is attached to the arm 29 by the pivot 32. A cam 36,carried on themain driving-shaft, is adapted to engage and depress the inner end ofthe delivery-arm 29, thereby raising the outer end carrying the scoop. Alight rod 34, approximately parallel to the arm 29 and pivotallyattached to the frame of the machine and to the scoop at pointscorresponding to the pivotal attachments of that arm, serves to keep thescoop in vertical position, without tipping, when it is raised. The riseon the cam 36 and the position of the cam on its shaft are so designedthat the cam will come into operation after the hammer 3 has deliveredits blow and will complete its operation before the turn-table hasstarted to move again or shortly afterward. A machine built according tomy invention needs only to have nipples supplied to it to accomplishautomatically and at high speed the punching and delivery of nipples.Nipples that are to be punctured are placed upon the punches about to gounder the hammer. The weight of each nipple causes it to take a positionlike that indicated by dotted lines in the drawings,Fig. 2,the nipplethus automatically centering itself upon the point at which the blow ofthe hammer will be delivered.

It will be obvious that variations may be made from the precise detailsof the machine which I have described without departing from the essenceof my invention. For example, the turn-table may consist merely of aseries of arms or spokes, each arm bearing a punch, or another form ofhammer might be used or a difierent means of shifting thestriking-surface of the hammer or of effecting the other motions I havedescribed.

I claim-=- 1. In a punching machine, a hammer; means to actuate thathammer; a multiplicity of punches, each punch being adapted to hold anarticle to be punched; a turn-table supporting those punches; meansadapted to rotate the turn-table intermittently, and cause the punchesto be set successively under the hammer.

2. In a punching machine, a hammer; means to actuate that hammer; amultiplicity of punches, each punch being adapted to hold an article tobe punched; a turn-table supporting those punches; means connected withthe driving mechanism of the hammer adapted to rotate the turntableintermittently, and cause the punches to be set successively under thehammer; and a cam-operated scoop to lift the articles from the punchesin succession.

3. In a punching-machine, a hammer pivoted on the frame of the machine;a cam rotatably mounted on a driving-shaft of the machine, and adaptedto actuate that hammer; a crank actuated by that driving-shaft;

a pawl actuated by the crank; a turn-table bearing a multiplicity ofpunches,each adapted to hold an article to be punched; and a ratchetconnected with the turn-table, whereby said pawl imparts to theturn-table and punches intermittent rotation; all organized and arrangedso that the punches shall successively take position and remainstationary to receive the blow of the hammer.

4. In a punching-machine, a hammer pivoted on the frame of the machine;a cam rotatably mounted on a driving-shaft of the machine, and adaptedto actuate that hammer; an eccentric connected with that driving-shaft;a pawl actuated by the eccentric; a turntable bearing a multiplicity ofpunches, each adapted to hold an article to be punched; and a ratchetconnected with the turn-table, whereby said pawl imparts to theturn-table and'punches intermittent rotation; all organized and arrangedso that the punches shall successively take position and remainstationary to receive the blow of the hammer; and a scoop pivoted to theframe of the machine; a cam on the driving-shaft whereby that scoop isthrown up and down close to one of the poeral punches are successivelyset in the same position; a hammer adapted to strike a blow upon a punchset in said position, and means to actuate that hammer.

6. In a punching-machine having one or more punches set to receive theblow of a ham mer, the combination of a hammet arm; a screw-shaftjournaled in said arm; a hammer-head fixed on that shaft; aratchet-wheel on the shaft free to slide butnot to rotate thereon; apawl and arm therefor to actuate the ratchet-wheel; means to move thehammer-arm alternately from and to the punch, and a stationary bearingon the frame of the machine adapted to engageand actuate the arm of thepawl as the hammer-arm moves.

7. In the striking mechanism of a punching-machine,ahammer-head;ascrew-threaded support for that hammer-head; means to move thehammer-head toward and from the point where the blow is delivered uponthe punch; a ratchet-wheel connected with that head and free to slidebut not to rotate with respect thereto; a pawl adapted to engage theratchet; a smooth plate intervening between the teeth of the ratchet andthe pawl during a portion of the travel of the pawl, and means on thestationary portion of the machine to actuate the hammer and the pawl.

8. In a punching-machine having one or more punches set to receive theblow of. a hammer, ahammer; a relatively soft'and penetrable strikingsurface on the hammer; means to actuate the hammer; means to set thepunch or punches always in the same position to receive the blow of thehammer; and means to shift the position of the strikingsurface of thehammer at each stroke to present a fresh portion thereof to the punch.

9. In a punching-machine having one or more punches set to receive theblow of a hammer, ahammer; a rotatable striking part on the hammer; arelatively soft and penetrable surface on that striking part; means tosupport that striking part rotatably means to actuate the hammer; andmeans to rotate the striking part when the hammer is actuated, topresent a fresh portion of its surface to the punch. a

10. In a hammer for a punching-machine, an adj ustably-mounted strikingpart adapted to deliver the blow of the hammer; a relatively soft andpenetrable surface on that too to and from the punch; and means on thestationary portion of the machine to operate 10' the adjusting mechanismof the hammer-head at each stroke of the hammer.

striking part; and means to adjust the striking part when the hammer isactuated.

11. In a punching-machine having one or more punches set to receive theblow of a hammer, the combination of ahammer-head; RHODES G. LOCKXVOOD.means to support that hammer-head; a screw Witnesses: adjustment inthose supporting means; OLIVER R. MITCHELL, means to move thehammer-head alternately WILLIAM N. LOCKWOOD.

